Chicago Triathlon - International Course - TriathlonOlympic

We got into the water and I was just waiting for the "buzzzz." It was so crowded I started to worry somebody would remove my timing chip (I know, first world's problem...) I quickly started utilizing my awesome plan to just keep swimming nicely with my rhythm (inhale-moment-bubbles-inhale-moment-bubbles....) despite girls all over the place. I figured the faster one will pass me eventually, and the slower ones, well, will not be a problem. I still got a hit here and there from someone who did not know what she was doing, but I was very calm and just kept swimming with my rhythm. I reminded myself it was only 350 to the turn, so not bad and I should be done with it in no time. But it was taking forever and the turn was not getting closer. So I took a look and the turn was super far away and I started to think it will take way more out of me than I expected.... Also, my goggles started to get foggy and I realized I forgot to anti-fog them. Ugh... Oh well, here comes the turn, I got it very nice and off to the second part of the race. I was doing fine - I did 350 now I gotta do another 350 and then I will have 800, which would be just a sprint distance (cutting 1,500 in chunks was a very helpful idea! btw), so I felt fine. But it gor very, very chaotic. From either side I got to girls who were either going in wrong directions or swimming on the back and not seeing me, or just splashed the water here and there, which was disturbing my rhythm. I was doing my best not to get into panic mode, but it was so hard... I took my head out of the water and guess what... I am on the wrong side of the buoys! Ok, I'm coming back to the course. Chaos again. Wtf! It was so freaking hard to get back to the rhythm... I was back to the other side two more times. I started to think about worst thing and how I was so unable to calm down. Finally, I reset myself with checking the arms: can the arms do the job? Yes, they can. So it's all mental. You will do fine. Go back to the rhythm. Think about Steve, think about patience, just stay patient. Once you pass the start buoy, you will go to the wall and then decide if you want to quit or just have some rest. Just continue to pass the start buoy.
That mantra sort of helped and I finally found myself in something that could be much better called open water. All the girls moved towards the wall and I stayed on the outside. Which was great, as I was the lonely swimmer and absolutely nothing disturbed my rhythm and form. Oh gosh it felt so good!!!!! I loved it so much I was thinking I could be just swimming and swimming for hours! So calm, so peaceful.. I cannot describe it. After the total chaos I reached a complete silentium sacrum :)Once in a while I almost hit the lifeguards boats, but even that was not a biggie. I decided not to look straight, because I did not want to see how far the exit was. I will get there when I get there. I had, on the other hand, nice views on the sides and I decided to just enjoy it and "be in the moment" :)
At some point I was just curious to see where I were, so I took a peak and I saw yellow buoy. I thought wow!!!! It's there, I can see it!!! I know I will make it, yeyyy!! It made me so happy and proud of myself I decided to swim faster. And then I found out why my arms are never fatigued after the swim... Well, because I was not really swimming very fast haha I finally started feeling my arms being in power mode. Then my legs started to kick really hard and I though: wow, those kicks do help speeding! Just about time to notice some technique potential ;)
I got to the exit, I was so happy! I could not walk up the stairs, I saw the step, but my leg could not step on it I felt like a baby... Awesome volunteers taught me how to walk again and I run screaming and yelling "I DID IT!!!!!! AAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" That was awesome!!!

Definitely took care of the goggles, so they don't fog. It did not really bother me much, but did not help my confidence at the beginning.
I need more practice in the crowd, so I know how to manage the stress of chaos.

I had to adjust from horizontal to vertical, but it was not bad and I was actually running the whole transition (400+ meters). I saw my mom and kids and high-five'd them. Found my bike very fast and got ready fairly quickly. Again, my overall plan for this race was not to race, but have fun and taste the distance, so I wanted to take my time in transition and not hurry. I drank some of my Nuun water and run with bike for another leg.

I could have done it faster, if I wanted to. But the relaxed attitude actually made me enjoy the race even more.

Ohhh..... biking.... mmm.... Such a great experience!
Once again, my strategy was to enjoy the race, not push too hard, making sure my legs won't suffer on the run. I also thought: when is the next chance to see all those beautiful views? Let me really take some time to enjoy everything around.
The course was great, not too many bikers. Beginners and slower cyclists stayed to the left, which was great, because I had enough space to pass them, giving plenty of space on the right in case there was someone else (of course, every time I passed somebody I looked to the back to make sure speedos where not behind me).
I was checking my time every two miles. The plan was to do one mile in 4 minutes, so I should be at 8 minutes by every mark. And guess what, I was at 6... It did not feel fast at all. But I wanted to slow down a bit, to not ruin the run. Another mile marker - 6 minutes again. What the heck... I feel like I'm cycling snail tempo, and I am faster than during the training. Oh well, I feel pretty comfortable, so let me just continue. Maybe in the second half when I get a bit more tired I will naturally slow down a bit. So I'm biking and it feels so cool, and we got underground, to the famous Batman course and it felt sooo cool!!!! I was by myself and all that I wanted was a full speed! I though, forget about the snail and the run - I love being here and ride this fast and it feels so great I want to do it!!!!! It may sound silly, but I felt so much freedom I just wanted to continue. It reminded me of the myth about Daedalus and Icarus. And I realized I don't blame Icarus for flying up pursuing his dreams. I was a little Icarus on the bike, in the dark tunnel ;)
After around 16 miles my toes got numb. I tried to move the feet around to get some blood circulation going, but it did not seem too helpful. I remember reading something about the feet position and moving my feet on the pedal a little bit. I did that and it changed my whole biking experience. Omg, I felt like I've been biking for over a year completely wrong....
After mile 20 I was still in a great pace and felt awesome. I decided to follow my last year's Sprint idea that "my run will be screwed no matter how I ride, so let me enjoy the ride." I felt like a super cyclist. I started to wonder: I realized I was a super awesome swimmer, now I feel I am super awesome rider, will this continue on the run and I will be super awesome runner....? Probably not, but let's not worry about it during this fascinating ride.
Seriously - I did not want it to end. I was so upset when I saw the bike exit haha

I guess I would go to full speed mode from the very beginning. But it's hard to say if it would have affected my run even more (my run was awful...)
I think being more careful and conservative in your first Oly race is much more reasonable. Therefore, no - I don't think anything should've been changed :)

I thought it was way longer than 2.5 minutes. I had no problem finding my spot. I had some issues with racking the bike, but that's because I wanted to be courteous to other girls next to me (both had bikes rack the same direction, so I wanted to squeeze mine the other way, so our handle bars don't bother one another). Had a bit of hydration, took my shirt, and off to the run.

Maybe did not struggle with the bike too much?

The plan was to either walk or run very slowly from transition. My legs did not feel like wood so I skipped that plan and just started running. Slow. Since my ride was wayyyyy faster than I planned, I was on the run sooner than the note I left my mom. So I called her and let her know they won't make it to see me out of T2, so they should be at the finish line in an hour. I turned RunKeeper on to tell me my pace every 0.5 mile. I wanted to make sure I was not going too fast. The plan was to be at 12 minutes/mile. First audio clue said 10-something and I though omg, here we go again, feels super slow, but it's actually way too fast. So I slowed down. For the rest of the run I was somewhere around 11+ min/mile, so very, very steady and nice pace.
The run was brutal. Super brutal. I don't think it was because of the bike, so at least I did not feel bad for being crazy cyclist. In my opinion, it was just not enough running training in the last few weeks, but I was prepared for this poor performance, that's why I did not expect going faster than 12 min/mile. But it was still very hard. I walked at every water station. I drunk so much water I could not believe. The water never tasted so good!!!!! I also poured as much on myself as I could. I had cramps in my belly all over the place. I was pressing my hand to the spots with the biggest pain, but eventually - I run out of hands... I tried to enjoy the beautiful views around me, think about my life plans, but the pain from cramps was just too awful. I hated running so much I wanted to cry. I was very happy, though, because I reminded myself that I did great with the swim and bike and this is the last piece, and that I am one awesome triathlete.
One fun comment: I had a shirt "Team Bride" which I got for my best friend's wedding last year. I use it for triathlons because it is super easy to put it on quickly. I had so much cheers and congrats during the run it made my day (well, sort of - I would rather meet the potential Mr. Right than give an impression I was taken ;)
Just before the finish line there was an incline. I thought wtf!! Why do they always have to end the race with a stupid hill???? I see the finish line, it's few steps away and I am pushing freaking hard, I wanted it to end so badly!!! I saw my kids - did high-five, and then entered speed mode. Finally felt my legs doing some work ;) Surprisingly, just like arms in the swim, my legs did not feel tired on the run. It was more the cramps and the need for water. And the need to have the run be over....

Figured out what caused the cramps.......
Well, not enough running before the race. I finished at the planned pace, so that's good. I could've smiled more to the camera haha When I cross the finish line you can tell I wanted to be done with it badly ;)

WATER!!!!!!!!!! Wet towel on my back. Beer. I had plenty of food from the athlete tent, but I gave everything to my family. I did not feel like eating. Except for watermelon. I've never had so much love for water melon as I had at that moment!!!


With biking it was just sticking to the plan of enjoying the ride and not overwhelming my legs for the run. So it was more of strategic move than training mistake.
As for the run.... way too little running training.


The week before this race I was contemplating switching to Sprint. With only 2 occasions of actually swimming 1,500 in the pool I was not sure if I was ready. Plus, not enough brick training. But having the right attitude was very helpful. I kept in mind that I dedicated this race to a friend, I knew I would do it if I just took it easy, I had some confidence knowing I did plenty of training, even if it was not the best training ever - I still did. I think this race was like anti-anxiety therapy for me. Every single thing I worried about was overcome. I am so proud of myself with the decision making, with being able to calm myself down at the moments of panic, with staying humble and patient. It may seem silly, but I proved a lot to myself and it was a great boost to the confidence. I am very grateful my kids were part of this experience. What else can I say? It was a perfect day :)